“Goto” Fun Pan Asian Experience | Mamagoto | Bangalore

Every day the doors of a new restaurant opens up in Bangalore but this time I decided to head for a dining experience at a restaurant which has made its mark over the last 3 years in Bangalore mainly for its innovativeness in Pan Asian cuisine. With the evolving trends in cuisine, Bangalore has always welcome every culinary experiment with open arms and Mamagoto was one of the first to bring in the trend of Pan Asian cuisine in the city.

Innovative Asian cuisine seemed to be a highlight in 2017 and there seems to no end to the potential of Asian cuisine reaching greater heights thanks to the innovative Chef’s and creators behind these restaurants. Mamagoto opened its doors in Bangalore in 2015 and made quite a splash at that time being one of a kind and soon becoming a must visit restaurant in Bangalore.

‘Mamagoto’ struck me as a odd yet unique name for a restaurant when literally translated means “To Play with Food”. The whole theme of this restaurant is inspired from Japanese comic books, from the name to the quirky weird decor involving infants, to use their senses to understand the shapes and textures of food.

The ambience at Mamagoto is befitting their name and you are taken on a artistic journey as soon as you enter the place. The decor involves their signature quirky art along with elements of the industrial chic giving a modern yet rustic appeal. The seating varies from curved comfortable sofas to the usual table and chairs, to rustic benches all made to look appealing with some colourful and arty cushions.

I visited with a family friend who loves to try out different cuisines and currently they were having a Unlimited Soup and Dimsums offer for the month of January. To begin with we started with their soups for the offer which included – Sweet Corn Chicken soup, Chicken & Pepper Soup and Tom Yum Soup. They do have all these soup option for the vegetarians too! Though I love a well prepared Sweet Corn soup, I was completely taken up with the Chicken & Pepper soup. Those nursing a cold would be soothed by the tangy yet perfect flavours of the Tom Yum Soup.

While we enjoyed our soups, we ordered a few mocktails to take us through the meal – Cranberry & Kaffir Lime Punch and Passion Fruit & Orange Cooler, both of which blended well with the first appetizer – Prawn Sesame Toast which was so unassuming in presentation but absolutely delicious especially for a seafood lover like me.

Our appetizers were in the form of loads of different dimsums – Rainbow Chicken Dumplings, Prawn & Celery Dumplings, Pok Choi Chicken Dumplings, Minced Lamb Roll, Old School Chicken Gyoza. We decided to have only the non veg dimsums/dumplings as we loved our meat but they do have enough options for the vegetarians too. Though I liked most of the appetizers served during our meal, my personal pick would be the Minced Lamb Roll and Prawn & Celery dumplings.

While we were quite happy taking in the meal slowly, I did get a chance to glance through they very extensive menu which have different sections,providing everything one can possibly ask in Pan Asian fare from combinations of rice and noodles bowls to curries and rice/noodles separately. Though not part of their current dimsum offer, I could not resist ordering a few dishes from the menu particularly the Crispy Lotus Stem since my companion was yet to try it. Maybe it was just me, but the dish which arrived was not what I envisaged but nevertheless a good appetizer if you are having a drinks night out.

Moving on to main courses and having stuffed ourselves with one too many appetizers, we decided to be sensible and share one meal in a bowl which turned out to be their special and fast moving Spicy Bangkok Chicken Bowl. The bowl consists of a really large serving of sticky rice with minced chicken in some gravy with slices of egg. Though mentioned Spicy, it was perfect for my palate though we really could not do justice to the whole bowl thanks to the tiny thought in our minds about having to end the meal with dessert.

We had the Caramel Sponge Cake with toffee sauce and Coconut Ice cream, both of which tasted very home made and simple and pleasant end to a fulfilling meal.

Considering that Mamagoto has been around for a long time now, still it was nice to see them many tables occupied for a weekday lunch. The place definitely requires more than one visit not only to taste the numerous dishes in their menu but also for their lively urban theme.

While Bangalore has no shortage of Pan Asian restaurants, especially on a street like 12th Main Indira Nagar which is filled with choices, Mamagoto definitely stands out.